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Tzalteclan
Tzalteclan is the capital of the Tzaltec Empire. Geography Tzalteclan is a coastal region nestled in the remains of a long-extinct supervolcano. The caldera serves as a large natural bay, known as the Bay of Stars for the quartz infused black sand that coats the floor. The bay is encircled by barrier cliffs called the Walls of Enlightenment, and is only accessible via a comparatively narrow inlet. Past the bay, the interior of the region is thick jungle fed by a twisting, crocodile infested river. However, a columnar basalt plateau rises near the bay, and this is where the Tzalteca have established their capital city of Tzalteclan. The majority of the Tzalteca live on the plateau, working farmland that has been carved out of the surrounding jungle and fishing the Bay of Stars to support their burgeoning population. The Gates of Nezetkhamun A project intended to safeguard the Bay of Stars from foreign aggressors, the Gates of Nezetkhamun are a pair of massive cylindrical fortresses carved into the cliffs that border the bay's inlet. Built upon a foundation of sunken gravel, the exterior walls arc outwards from the cliff face to a distance of eighty feet, narrowing the channel to less than one thousand feet wide. The bottom fifty feet that rise above sea level boast walls twenty feet thick, pierced by a lone tunnel barely three feet in diameter. These tunnels hold the underwater chain that connects the two fortresses, and can be raised to prevent access to the bay proper. Despite its height, this portion of both fortresses contain only four storeys, due to the first ten feet above sea level being solid stone. The lowest of these stories holds the winch room, while the second is a fortified hall containing the fortresses' entry point and the third and fourth are the rooms of the garrison. The three stories above those feature much thinner walls, scarcely eight feet thick, but those are riddled with alcoves holding ballistae and arrow slits. Their interiors are occupied by vast armories. However, for their impressive size the real wonder of the Gates rests above the them. Mounted on the roofs of both fortresses are a pair of towering stone statues, rising almost one hundred feet into the air. The right statue is set to bear the likeness of Nezetkhamun when complete, while the left will bear the face of his predecessor. People The Tzalteca are a breed of human that has long dominated the area. Predominantly bronze skinned and black haired, they stand around six feet tall on average with a proud bearing. The Tzalteca believe themselves to be descended from the great dragon Tzetultep, who tore the earth asunder and forged them from fire and mud. The other races of man sprouted forth from the light cast by the birth of the Tzalteca, making them forever inferior to the blood of the dragon. This endemic sense of superiority colors all Tzalteca interactions, and explains the deep hypocrisy inherent in their society. Among the Tzalteca, men and women are regarded as equals. Women can own and inherit property, and serve in the military, the government, and the priesthood. Meanwhile, members of other tribes are fit only for enslavement, and are often regarded in the same way as one might a favored dog. This rarely manifests as malice - rather, the Tzalteca see it as their duty to guide and safeguard lesser beings. The desires of these "lesser beings" are rarely taken into consideration. Resources The mountains surrounding Tzalteclan are rich in precious minerals, gold chief among them. While they also provide an ample supply of more common metals, most importantly iron. However, the most important resource of the Tzalteca, and the backbone of their society, are slaves. Culled from the less advanced tribes in the interior, Tzalteca slaves are owned by the state, and are assigned tasks according to their abilities. These range from menial laborers in the farms and mines to bureaucrats in the government and the priesthood, and each is marked with a facial tattoo denoting their rank and position. Harming a slave is seen as the destruction of government property, and is swiftly punished. It is even possible, through great effort, for slaves to be recognized as mahurat, or ascended ones, and be granted their freedom and full citizenship. Meanwhile, slaves who are recalcitrant or disobedient are sentenced to imprisonment in the Walls of Enlightenment. Shallow cells have been dug into the cliff side, exposing slaves to the elements and the ceaseless crash of waves on the rocks below. It rarely takes more than a few weeks of such treatment for them to accept their fate. With the arrival of foreigners from across the sea, stories have begun to circulate of vast herds of docile animals useful in both farming and for food, leading to a demand for draft animal's'. Already the Council of Twelve is pressuring the God King to arrange for trade with one of the lesser nations, and it seems inevitable that Tzalteca gold will soon be on offer. Discovered in the deep jungle of Tzalteclan, Dragon's Blood is a deep red liquid that bubbles from the ground, most commonly in the cave networks that pepper the region's rocky interior. Warm to the touch, Dragon's Blood is both extremely flammable and extremely long lasting. Burning with a deep red flame, it produces black, coppery smoke in its natural form. However, if refined it becomes far less noxious and has a number of uses. Category:Regions Category:Capital Regions Category:Regions of Telluris Category:Capital Regions of Telluris